


My Own Prison

by rclarkie16



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:22:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23288476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rclarkie16/pseuds/rclarkie16
Summary: Jade has to deal with her past, present, and future now that her humanity is back on. She may be out of the Prison World, but she's not yet free. Although maybe a certain brunette can help with that.
Relationships: Jade/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 32
Kudos: 149





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is sort of differentiates from cannon as there won't be more Dark!Josie in this fic. It's really just going to follow Jade's recovery and her budding relationship with Josie. I hope you enjoy!

Flickering flames danced across the room illuminating the three figures that surrounded the fire pit. Two of which were fast asleep, tucked into their respective sleeping bags.

But the third was sitting on top of hers, staring into the fire. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, chin resting on the tops of her knees, blue eyes trained directly in front of her. Yet, her mind was elsewhere.

As hard as she tried, Jade couldn't find sleep as easily as her friend Wendy and the other girl, Alyssa Chang, who was responsible for sending the Saltzman’s to the prison world in the first place, had managed to. Instead, she sat awake, overwhelmed with the influx of feelings that were assaulting her with the return of her humanity.

The look in Inez's eyes as Jade drained the life out of her haunted her every time she had so much as blinked since Josie turned her humanity back on.

Although, it took until the brunette siphoner had put up a barrier spell around the Old Mill for it really hit her. Since then, she had remained in the exact same position in front of the fire, as if watching the wood slowly burn would somehow comfort her.

Jade may have returned from the Prison World, but she still wasn't free.

* * *

She must have fallen at some point because she found herself in her sleeping bag, resting on her pillow as the sunlight peeked through the many cracks in the old building. The fire was now just a few fading embers.

Jade couldn't shake her dream that had felt entirely too real.

 _"I can't stop thinking about you,"_ the dream version of Josie had said.

She remembered her own response as well.

_"I've been thinking about you, too."_

Why couldn't she stop thinking about Josie Saltzman?

Quiet whispers reached her ears, alerting her to what had caused her to stir.

Turning over, Jade faced the wall, trying to find several more moments of rest before facing the day and more importantly, her fate at the Salvatore School.

Dr. Saltzman had allowed them to stay in the mill, but a more pressing matter diverted his attention away from the three girls who he needed to make a decision about. If they could stay, or if he was going to send them away.

Whatever the case, Jade would have to face her demons.

But she thought she'd rather face them at the school. It'd been her home even in the prison world and she didn't have any other place to go.

Two brief knocks caused Wendy and Alyssa's whispering to cease.

Sitting up, Jade noticed the brunette standing in the doorway instantly. Josie's other hand glowed as she removed the invisible barrier keeping the three girls inside.

"Hi," the siphon's eyes sought out Jade's, a gentle smiling pulling at her lips as she stepped over the threshold, her hand falling to her side.

Alyssa barely acknowledged the girl's presence and Wendy gave a small wave.

Yet, Jade felt a rush of air leave her lungs as she breathed out a shaky, "Josie, hi."

Their eyes remained locked as Josie stepped closer to the trio's makeshift sleeping arrangement, brown and blue unable to look away.

A cough broke the two from their trance, a bored-looking Alyssa being the culprit behind the sudden sound.

Tilting her head, the witch spoke, "Can somebody please say something, we're not in a rom-com."

Both Jade and Josie ignored the other girl's snide comment, Alyssa didn't want to be there, and everyone knew it.

“My dad wants to see you guys in his office,” the headmaster’s daughter said. “He sent me to take down the barrier spell and escort you.”

That was really all Josie had to say, the three temporary roommates pushed themselves up from their sleeping bags and straightened their clothes. Jade felt underdressed in her loose sweater and sweatpants in comparison to Josie, who had curled her hair and was wearing a blazer, white shirt, and skirt combo.

The four of them made their way to the school, Wendy and Alyssa bringing up the rear, while Jade found herself falling into step with Josie, who smiled at her before focusing on the trail in front of her.

“Um, how’s Lizzie doing?” was the first thing Jade could think to say.

“She’s feeling a lot better,” Josie told her, smiling at the mention of her sister, “thanks to you.”

Jade felt her cheeks burn at the girl’s gratitude, “It was nothing. If anything, it was my fault for preventing you and your father from getting to her before it got to that point.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Josie’s hand touched Jade’s arm, causing the other girl to flinch and pull away. Nevertheless, she continued speaking, “You had your humanity turned off. You’re not that person anymore.”

Trying to ignore the hurt that flashed in Josie’s eyes at her sudden caginess, Jade wasn’t going to tell her what she really thought; that it _was_ her fault and that her humanity _wasn’t_ off when she killed Inez, that she was a ripper and she didn’t know how she was going to feel okay with that.

But she didn’t tell Josie any of that. Instead, her response was, “And I have you to thank for that. You turned my humanity on and kept me from doing something else I’d regret.”

“I’m not sure what I did, but I meant what I said last night,” the brunette said softly. “I am glad that you’re back.”

“Yeah,” Jade found herself saying, feeling herself repeat the same thing as she had the night before “me too.” 

The group continued their trek to the building, where Jade took notice of the changes to the school’s interior over the past ten years.

While they walked, Josie told her and Wendy about some of the changes that occurred during their time…away. She had briefly seen some of it after returning from the prison world but hadn’t really thought about it.

Although everything was basically the same, this version was much more full of life, ironic considering a third of its population was vampires.

This Salvatore School was bright and filled with noise, unlike the one inside the ascendant where only four people—five when that vampire Sebastian had arrived—resided. It

It was refreshing and brought back memories, good ones, of how much she loved the school for the supernatural. She had considered it her first home after being turned. Yet, in the other version, it was more of a personal hell, even with her humanity off.

Maybe it could be home again.

Stopping in front of Dr, Saltzman’s office, Josie turned to the others.

“So, I’ve got to go to class, but my dad said he’ll meet you guys here,” she explained, gesturing to the room behind her.

“Thanks,” Wendy slumped against the wall, shooting Jade a meaningful glance that she couldn’t quite read.

“Yeah, thanks.” The vampire echoed her friend lamely.

Then while watching the siphon turn to leave, a feeling of uncertainty washed over Jade, causing her stomach to flip uncomfortably. She feared that this could be the last time she’d see Josie if the girl’s father decided to kick them out.

“Hey, Jose?”

Josie turned back around, a small smile gracing her lips at the old nickname, “Yeah, Jade?”

“Maybe I’ll see you around?” she asked shyly, not wanting to get her hopes up.

Tilting her head to the side, the brunette witch’s smile turned into a confused pout. “Why wouldn’t you? I do live here, after all.”

“Y-Yeah, you’re right. Never mind,” Jade mentally berated herself for fumbling with her words and sounding like an idiot. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Oh, ok.” Josie looked like she wanted to say something more, but a deep voice called out from behind her.

“Josie?” Dr. Saltzman appeared behind his daughter, “Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

The girl rolled her eyes, “I was bringing Jade, Wendy, and Alyssa here like you asked, remember? I was just about to leave, Dad.”

“You’d better hurry or you’ll be late,” he leaned down and kissed her head. “I don’t want to see you in detention later.”

Josie grimaced at the attempted joke, sending Jade one last look before heading down the hallway and disappearing around the corner.

When it was just the three girls and Dr. Saltzman, the bearded man turned to them with a more serious expression, one that made Jade’s stomach do some more Olympic-worthy gymnastics.

“Wendy, we’ll start with you,” he reached over and opened his office door, holding it open for the witch.

Jade shifted nervously, meeting Wendy’s slightly worried stare. She tried to give her friend a reassuring smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. How could she convince her friend that they weren’t facing another imprisonment when she was afraid of the exact same thing herself?

Steeling herself, Wendy stepped into the room. Dr. Saltzman followed behind her, the door falling shut behind them, leaving Jade alone with Alyssa, who made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

The two sat in silence for five minutes until…

“We’re screwed.”

Jade jumped at the other girl’s voice despite her bored tone. “What do you mean?”

Looking at her as if she were a complete idiot, Alyssa huffed, “Obviously Saltzman is going to have the twins make another prison world or something to send us away to. You didn’t seriously think he was going to ‘forgive and forget’ right?”

“But…he said he was going to do better. He promised he wouldn’t do anything like that again, I _heard him_ ,” even though the witch’s words were exactly what Jade was terrified of happening, but she still didn’t want to admit it.

“You’re either stupid or delusional,” Alyssa’s response was blunt. ‘They’re not going to welcome you back with open arms. You had to have done something terrible in order for him to have sent you away in the first place.”

“You’re wrong,” Jade desperately wanted to believe her words, but the other girl seemed to see right through her.

Alyssa raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow, “Am I?”

Jade didn’t respond, falling victim to her fears that Alyssa had helped cement. What if Dr. Saltzman was going to send them somewhere else? Would if Josie knew about it and was just being nice because she felt sorry for her?

She didn’t think she would be able to survive another ten years, this time with her humanity and feelings intact. Maybe she should make a break for it. She didn’t know if anyone from her past was still alive, her family thought she was dead, but being alone was better than being trapped in the Prison World.

Her eyes darted around the hallway, empty aside from her and Alyssa. Although it would be difficult, she might have been able to pull it off.

But she couldn’t leave Wendy. They were in this together and she wasn’t going to abandon the witch to save her own skin. She wasn’t that person anymore, that was the worst version of her and Jade wasn’t going to let her see the light of day again.

So, she stayed put, waiting for whatever was going to happen.

After a while, the sound of the doorknob turning reached Jade’s ears, causing her to straighten up.

Wendy exited the room first, giving Jade a half-smile, which did nothing to ease her friend’s nerves.

“Jade?” Dr. Saltzman called from the door, “It’s your turn?”

Taking a deep breath, the vampire clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, taking a moment to center herself before entering the room where her fate would be decided. Alyssa’s words had really shaken her. She thought her fears were unfounded, but now the witch had her thinking otherwise

Yet, thinking of a certain brunette siphon’s smile made it a little easier to cross the threshold. So, she let her thoughts shift to Josie for just a second before finally making a move.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a character-building chapter for Jade and I apologize because there isn't any Jasie interaction in it. But it will be coming in the next one!

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

Jade watched as the man who sentenced her to life in a prison world shuffled some papers around on his desk. Although she wasn't sure what he could be possibly be needing them for, she waited with bated breath for him to finally speak and break the agonizing silence.

_Tick. Tick._

Her eyes flicked over to the left as the long, thin hand on the clock that was sitting on one of the many bookshelves in the office moved, the never-ending sound echoing in her ears. It almost distracted her enough from the heavy beating of her own heart pumping blood throughout her body.

_Tick._

"Jade." Dr. Saltzman's voice jolted the blonde from her trance.

Looking away from the clock, she directed her attention back onto the headmaster, his expression carefully neutral, not giving away any clues as to where the conversation was going. She played with the hem of her sweater, fingers picking timorously at a loose thread.

"Yeah?"

"I'd like to just talk for a couple of minutes if that's alright with you," the man explained, rubbing at his beard. "There's a couple of things I need to get off my chest."

His words didn't sound super promising to Jade. Maybe he was just letting her squirm for a little bit before dropping the bomb on her, the vampire couldn't tell.

Jade remained silent, waiting for Dr. Saltzman to continue with whatever he wanted to say to her.

He sucked in a breath, leaning forward and resting his arms on the desk, hands folded together neatly.

"I'm going to be honest with you Jade." Dr. Saltzman stated, "You, Wendy, and Diego made some extremely dangerous mistakes that ended with innocent lives lost. That's never going to change," he frowned. "I know exactly what that's like. The feeling doesn't go away. It leaves a mark on your soul that never comes out."

Clenching her jaw, Jade jerkily nodded her head along with his words. He wasn't saying anything that she hadn't already thought herself if she was being honest.

But why couldn't he just get it over with?

"Dr. Saltzman, please just─" Jade's plea for this to be over quickly was cut off by the man continuing.

"Let me finish, Jade, please," he raised his arm to signal her to 'wait.'

Not really feeling as though she had much of an option, the teen bit her lip and complied with his wishes. She didn’t really have a choice other than to let the headmaster bring down his metaphorical—or perhaps physical—hammer.

"But that doesn't make you a bad person,” Dr. Saltzman’s words had Jade lifting her eyes from the wooden surface of the desk in shock. “I didn't try hard enough to figure out what happened to you three and that's my fault for not paying enough attention. You needed my help and I let you down," he paused, giving the girl a remorseful smile, “but that won’t happen again.”

“You mean you’re not sending me away?” Jade asked in astonishment. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, Alyssa’s words had convinced her that the worst possible outcome would come true, but what Dr. Saltzman was saying was the complete opposite.

Dr. Saltzman looked concerned at her question, frowning at the ceiling. “I thought I’d made it clear before we left the prison world that something like that would never happen again,” he said, “yet, I realize we didn’t talk about it after we got back because of another emergency, so I can see why you’d think that.”

Speechless, Jade’s eyes started watering, her fears negated, and, in their place, a huge feeling of relief washed over the vampire.

“Thank you, Dr. Saltzman,” she breathed out. Her body, that had been stiff since stepping foot into his office, finally relaxed back into the chair.

“What I really wanted to talk to you about was whether or not you’d like to stay at the school,” the headmaster explained.

He pulled out a folder from the stack of papers on his desk. Jade could see her name written on the tab. It was obviously her Salvatore School file from years ago, the corners peeling, and the color faded.

Flipping through the pages, Dr. Saltzman spoke, “Normally, we don’t allow overaged vampires, but since you were gone for so long and time didn’t really pass for you, it won’t be an issue. I know you can’t return home to your family, but I would understand if you didn’t wish to remain at the school,” before Jade could respond, he continued, “and I could contact some people and find you somewhere else to stay if─”

“No!” a wave of embarrassment hit her at her sudden outburst. “I mean, I want to stay at the school, Dr. Saltzman. It’s my home and I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

Not to mention a very pretty brunette, who she couldn’t help but feel drawn to, resided at the school, who also happened to be the daughter of the man sitting across from her.

Though, Jade wasn’t going to acknowledge that part of the motivation she felt to stay there. Her ever-growing connection with Josie Saltzman would have to wait until she was situated in this new decade to explore.

Dr. Saltzman shut the folder, “Then, we’ll find you a room and get you a class schedule. There’s a student I’d like you to meet.” He reached over to the phone sitting on his desk, “His name is Milton and he’s a vampire that has the, uh, same condition as you. I think you would really benefit from meeting him. Plus, he can show you to the kitchen to get some blood.”

Pressing a few buttons, the headmaster waited for a moment until someone picked up on the other end. He asked the man, Jade could tell with her advanced hearing, to “send MG” down to the office before hanging up. She had a vague idea of what he meant by ‘condition.’

“Well, that’s it for now,” he stood, rounding the desk as she got up from her seat. “You can wait outside for MG; he shouldn’t be that long.”

“Thank you, Dr. Saltzman.” Jade moved toward the door, “For giving me a second chance.”

Smiling softly, the man put a hand on her shoulder, “There isn’t a reason to thank me. You never should have needed a second chance to begin with.”

With that, he led her to the door and called for Alyssa, who begrudgingly acquiesced with his request. The other girl bumped shoulders with Jade as she passed her to get into the office, but the contact didn’t seem accidental and she wasn’t apologetic about it. Her cold behavior was slowly becoming less shocking to the blonde.

Once the door shut, Jade bounced over to Wendy, “We get to stay!”

Her best friend shifted uncomfortably, fiddling with her fingers instead of meeting her gaze. It was then that the vampire realized Wendy hadn’t returned her smile, instead wearing a sad frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not staying at the school, Jade.” Wendy’s words sent a ripple of fear down her spine, sad brown eyes meeting confused blue ones.

Jade didn’t understand. “Where are you going?”

“Home,” smiling sadly, the witch pushed herself off the wall she’d been leaning against. “We were gone for ten years, Jade. I miss my family and Dr. Saltzman got into contact with them this morning. He got me a bus ticket to Ohio.”

Wendy continued when her friend stayed silent, “You had your humanity off, but I lived every single one of those days. We _killed_ each other, J. We killed each other too many times to count and sure, we knew we’d come back, but it still messed me up. I don’t want to leave you alone, but I just need to go home.”

Of course, Wendy would want to go home to be with her family. Why would she want to stay at the real-world version of the place where they did so many terrible things to one another?

Jade would go home too if there was even the slightest chance it was possible, but it wasn’t, so her choice to remain at the school was a given.

So, although it hurt Jade tremendously to know that she was going to be alone, without her one constant for more than a decade, Wendy looked absolutely heartbroken at the idea of leaving, so she knew what she had to do, even if she didn’t want to.

“I’ll be fine, Wen.” she gave her friend a teary-eyed smile, “You should be with your family.”

“You’re not mad?”

Stepping forward, Jade wrapped her arms around Wendy’s neck, and felt the other girl’s hands come up to the middle of her back, fingers digging into her sweater, “Of course I’m not mad,” she mumbled into the witch’s shoulder, “I would do the same thing if I could.”

“I really missed this sappy version of you,” Wendy sniffed.

Jade let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob, pulling back and holding her friend’s hands. “I’m really going to miss you.”

“Me too,” the other girl wiped away her tears with a sleeve.

“When do you leave?”

“Dr. Saltzman is taking me to the bus station after he finishes with Alyssa,” Jade didn’t realize Wendy would be leaving so soon. “I wanted to be the one to tell you.”

“Oh, well you’ll keep in touch, right?” Jade knew that they weren’t the type of friends that drifted apart, especially after all they had been through. Yet, she couldn’t help but fear that because her best friend wanted to move on, that meant from everything, including her.

“I’ll call as soon as I can,” Wendy assured, letting their hands drop between them. “I promise.”

The two fell into a comfortable silence, trying to pull themselves together because they were in the middle of a hallway and both weren’t the type to let others see them cry. They pulled apart when the squeaking of sneakers echoed down the hall.

A tall, bushy-haired teen made his way down the corridor, a bright smile lighting up his face as he stopped in front of the girls.

“Hello ladies,” he lifted one hand in a casual wave.

“Um, hi,” Jade remembered a student was supposed to meet her. “You’re Milton, right?”

Milton coughed, “It’s MG actually,” he corrected her, “so, that makes you Jade?”

“Yeah, that’s me,” she gestured to her friend, “this is Wendy.”

“Nice to meet you Jade,” he shook their hands. “Wendy.” MG jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, “Dr. S wanted me to show you where the blood is and grab some stuff for your room. You want to grab a quick breakfast?”

“Could you just give us a second?” Jade glanced over at Wendy, who had started tearing up again but was trying unsuccessfully to hide it.

Looking between them, MG pursed his lips and took a couple of steps back. “Oh, yeah sure, I’ll just be,” he pointed at the end of the hall, “over there when you’re finished.”

Jade waited until he was far enough away to return her attention to Wendy. Although MG was a vampire, so he’d probably still be able to hear their conversation even if he wasn’t intentionally listening in.

“So, this is it,” she sighed, trying to give the other girl a reassuring smile.

“I guess so,” Wendy shrugged, “let’s just get this over with. Like ripping off a band-aid.”

The vampire rolled her eyes, “that’s not even less painful, people just say that.”

“Seriously, Jade?” Her friend glared at her. “Just hug me and get out of here.”

Despite the demanding tone, she could tell that Wendy was only just holding herself together. Before the prison world, she had been the more serious of the two, while Jade was softer and more emotional, wearing her heart on her sleeve.

So, she rushed forward at vamp speed and embraced her friend tightly, although not enough to suffocate the witch. They held each other for a long moment, Jade soaking in the smell of smoke and raspberries that clung to the other girl. Wendy was the first to pull away.

“Bye, J.”

Jade gave her a watery smile, “Bye, Wen.”

She was quick to turn on her heel and head toward the boy waiting for her, leaving Wendy to wait for Dr. Saltzman. Wiping at her eyes with her sleeves, she tried to erase any evidence of having been crying.

“Ready?” MG asked as she approached him, a little bounce in his step.

“Lead the way,” she held out an arm to say ‘after you.’

MG led her to the kitchen, where they both enjoyed a delicious (read: bland) breakfast consisting of a pouch of bunny blood that reminded Jade of a Capri Sun. Did they even make those anymore? She learned that the other vampire was extremely into comics and was a part of something he called the ‘Super Squad.’

Jade allowed him to show her around, despite knowing every inch of the school by heart. She didn’t have the heart to tell the eager teen he didn’t need to give her a tour. Everything was almost empty because the students were in the middle of class.

After they finished with that, MG and Jade visited the maintenance office, where a man named Don assigned her a room and gave her a key. He sent them down the hall to grab toiletries, sheets, pillows, and anything else she would need for the time being.

Luckily, she didn’t have a roommate. She found out when she opened the door to her new room and noticed the single bed situated in the middle against the far wall. It was probably a smart idea because she didn’t trust herself not to accidentally eat another student if they were to bleed and witches tended to use blood for spells.

“I have to get back to class,” MG spoke from his place in the doorway. He had been watching her look around with a small smile on his face. “You should eat dinner with my friends and I. You already know Josie.”

At the mention of the girl’s name, Jade felt her cheeks grow warm.

“I’d like that.”

MG’s smile widened, “Great. Then, I’ll see you in the dining hall around six?”

He left soon after Jade told him she would be there, leaving the girl to her thoughts. First, she put the stuff she had gotten from the supply closet into drawers and busied herself by putting the sheets, pillows, and blankets on the stripped bed.

Eventually, she ran out of things to do and felt the effects of her emotionally draining morning catching up with her. So, she flopped onto her mattress and allowed herself to take a nap.

* * *

_Jade found herself standing in the middle of the woods with Wendy, Diego, and a group of dead, no slaughtered, Mystic Falls High kids. The smell of burning flesh assaulted her senses, and she felt blood dripping down from her chin, alerting her to the body of the girl beneath her._

_“I’m so sorry.”_

_Inez’s lifeless eyes stared back at her._

Jade’s eyes snapped open and she jolted out of bed, taking in her surroundings and realizing that she was just dreaming.

No, it wasn’t a dream, she was reliving the worst moment of her life.

A soft knock at the door alerted her to what had woken her, and she could hear the quick heartbeat of the person on the other side. Jade took a moment to collect herself, the scent of burning bodies and blood still lingering in the air, but she wasn’t there anymore.

With several quick steps, the vampire reached the door, unsure of who would be on the outside. She pulled open the door and was met with soft brown eyes, brown hair, and an unsure smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lots of time to write during quarantine so I hope you enjoy. Lmk what you thought about the chapter and what you might wanna see in the future.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lots of Jasie interaction in this one you guys! thanks for being patient with me!

Recovering from the initial shock of unexpectedly finding the girl on the other side of the threshold, Jade opened the door fully before gesturing for Josie to come inside.

Tentatively, the brunette stepped through the doorway wearing the same skirt and blazer combo as earlier that morning. The scent of vanilla and cinnamon invaded Jade’s senses for the brief moment that the other girl entered her personal space in order to get past her.

Chocolate eyes studied the room, yet Jade could tell Josie was only doing so out of politeness because it was completely bare besides the jacket strewn over the desk chair.

Josie appeared to be thinking hard about something, her mouth set in a pensive pout while running her hand across the dusty desk situated in front of the single window in the room. So, Jade coughed awkwardly, letting her discomfort at the silence rule over allowing the witch time to gather her thoughts.

Drawing her hand away from the wooden surface, Josie wiped the residual dust coating her fingers onto her plaid skirt.

“Sorry,” she sat carefully on the edge of the mattress that Jade had previously been sleeping on. “I’m just surprised you’re still here.”

A wave of confusion washed over the vampire at Josie’s statement. Although Jade took a few small steps into the middle of the room, she kept a considerable amount of distance between herself and the siphoner.

Being in an enclosed space with nothing to distract her from the sweet scent of Josie’s blood apart from the person who said blood belonged too, Jade didn’t want to take any risks and end up hurting the person who, albeit being under the influence of black magic, singlehandedly restored her humanity.

“Where did you think I was going?” Jade raised an eyebrow, wondering where the other girl could possibly imagine she’d go.

“Anywhere but here,” answered the brunette. “Why would you want to stay here after what my dad did to you?”

Jade shifted, thrown off by Josie’s question. Strangely she felt the need to defend the headmaster, despite knowing full-well Dr. Saltzman could have handled the situation differently.

“He did what he thought was right,” she voiced her thoughts. “There were several dead kids and three supernatural students who weren’t talking. What was he supposed to do?”

It was the truth. Jade couldn’t help but feel she deserved it for killing an innocent girl. It didn’t matter that Inez had lured her, Wendy and Diego to a gathering intended to poke fun at the ‘boarding school weirdos.’

They should’ve walked away, they _tried_ to but one of the football dicks had hit a temperamental Diego with a football and that had been that.

She _knew_ they shouldn’t have brought the werewolf along; he was extremely hot-headed even for a wolf. But Wendy wanted to impress him, and Jade didn’t have the heart to say no. If only she knew.

It didn’t surprise her that Diego had tried to kill Dr. Saltzman when Dark Josie was creating holes to the real world. He was even more bloodthirsty than she was and she had probably killed him the most during her time in the prison world.

“There could have been another way!” Josie’s shouting put a stop to her thoughts. “He didn’t even try to help you, why are you defending him?”

Jade couldn’t bring herself to answer. She’d already been reliving the worst moment of her life more in the past couple of days than in ten years stuck in the prison world. It was too much right then to voice it out loud.

So, Josie continued when Jade didn’t say anything, “I wondered where you went, you know?”

“You did?”

“Of course, I did,” Josie’s cheeks flushed, “I followed you around constantly when Lizzie and I were little. I thought you were so cool, I mean, you still are, but six-year-old me idolized your carefree attitude and ‘screw the patriarchy’ mentality long before I could even understand what it meant,” her brown eyes peeked out from underneath her eyelashes when she looked up at the vampire, “I was devastated when I found out you were gone.”

While Josie was talking, Jade found herself drifting closer to where the girl was sitting, although still keeping a few feet between them just in case.

“I remember asking my dad where you were after a couple of days went by. I thought it was my fault for taking down the detention barrier spell and letting you out. But Dad just said you had decided to go home,” the other girl told her.

Letting out a harsh laugh, the older girl finally closed the distance and sat down next to Josie at the end of the bed.

“I could never have gone home,” the words tasted bitter on her tongue, coming out before she could stop them. “But it definitely wasn’t your fault,” was what Jade decided to focus on because it was _true._ “You were a kid and got manipulated by a bunch of teenagers too stupid to just serve their punishment.”

“Yeah, but if I didn’t let you out, then you wouldn’t have killed that girl,” Josie bit her lip.

“Maybe I wouldn’t have killed that girl,” Jade’s blue eyes caught brown ones, “but that doesn’t make it your fault. It would have only been delaying the inevitable. I’m a _killer_ , a ripper, Josie. It’s what we do.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” the Saltzman girl shifted closer, causing vanilla and cinnamon to make Jade’s brain go fuzzy. “You can control it; my mom loved a vampire who was a ripper and she said he was one of the kindest people she’d ever met.”

Jade felt her throat tighten, “Can we talk about something else?”

Nodding, Josie pursed her lips in thought, “What did you mean when you said you ‘could never’ have gone home?”

Obviously, the siphoner would have picked up on Jade’s rueful statement about not being able to go home. Sometimes Josie Saltzman was too curious for her own good, yet Jade couldn’t help but admire that quality.

Still, she _couldn’t help_ but worry that it could end up getting the other girl into some serious trouble in the wrong company, but Jade didn’t want to think about that at the moment. Why was she so worried about Josie Saltzman’s safety?

The question caused her heart to clench and her fists to grip the bed sheets tightly. Even if she preferred to keep that bit of information—and the pain that came with it—to herself, her newfound soft spot for the other girl made her want to share.

“You know how your dad gives the vampire students the option to tell their parents about them after being changed?” She continued at Josie’s nod of confirmation, “Well, my family was— _is_ —very religious, and they would never have been able to handle the truth of what I am or that any kind of supernatural exists.”

Jade let out a hollow laugh, “I guarantee they would have tried some bullshit exorcism had I told them the truth. Could you imagine if they knew I was gay _and_ a vampire?” Her joke didn’t elicit a giggle from the other girl who was watching her with sorrowful eyes. So, your parents helped me fake my own death.”

“I actually went to my funeral,” she thought about that day in the cemetery watching her family bury her. “I don’t think my parents ever really loved me because I went against everything they stood for, but I didn’t really care about them either. I just wanted to see my little brother and sister one last time.”

She could feel the tears dripping onto her hands that she had brought onto her lap. Instead of clenching the sheets, her fingers were now spread across her lap as she stared at them, avoiding Josie’s kind eyes because she didn’t know if she could handle the warmth she’d find in them.

“That’s why I can’t go anywhere else.” Jade finished, her voice cracking. “The Salvatore School is the only home I have left.”

For a moment, the only sound in the room was her staggered breathing as she tried to calm down, not yet used to dealing with the heightened emotions that she’d have to deal with from now on.

She felt like she couldn’t breathe even though she knew that was impossible, that she wouldn’t die permanently from a lack of oxygen. But her throat felt like it was closing up and the air just couldn’t come through.

It happened so fast and she was so distracted that Jade didn’t have time to react.

Arms wrapped around her neck and she was immediately assaulted by the smell of vanilla and cinnamon. Josie had closed the distance between them and pulled the vampire into a tight embrace, soft brown hair ticking the older girl’s nose.

But while it was supposed to be comforting, Josie was also pressing the other girl dangerously close to her neck, which only made Jade’s breathing worse. Now she was trying to hold her breath to refrain from losing control and doing the last thing she wanted to.

“Just breathe with me,” the witch’s lips were so close to Jade’s ear that she could _feel_ her words on her skin. “In,” she took a deep breath, holding it for a moment, before letting it out, “and out.”

“I can’t,” Jade grunted trying to dislodge the other girl, “You shouldn’t be this close.”

“You’re not going to hurt me,” how could Josie sound so sure Jade wouldn’t do anything when the girl was so sure she would. “I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t,” Jade sniffled, “I’m dangerous. I could hurt you.”

“Everyone at this school is dangerous in some way, Jade.” Josie reminded her, “Yet, we’ve been this close for a couple of minutes now and you haven’t hurt me. In fact, your panic attack seems to be over, too.”

She was right. Somewhere between her fit of sobs and refraining from giving in to temptation, Jade’s breathing had evened out and there was no longer an invisible lump in her throat. Not only that, but she didn’t have the urge to drink the other girl’s blood, which was more surprising of the two, but not something she wanted to talk about at that moment.

“Panic attack?” Jade furrowed her brows. “That was a panic attack?”

Josie pulled back so she could look at her, “Yeah. It’s actually pretty common thing, especially after a traumatic event.”

It made her feel a little less embarrassed to know it happened to other people, although she found it too coincidental that the siphoner just happened to know exactly what to do. So, she asked her.

“How did you know that would work?”

Shrugging one shoulder, Josie told her, “I didn’t, but it usually works when Lizzie is having one of her episodes.”

Jade wasn’t really sure what the other girl meant by ‘episodes’ but she assumed that it was none of her business and she didn’t really want to overstep, especially after Josie had just helped her.

“Well, it did, so thank you.” The vampire shifted out of Josie’s embrace, not noticing the sadness leaking into young witch’s expression. She still didn’t trust herself not to give in to her instincts and Josie wasn’t going to push her any further that day.

“You’re welcome,” the brunette smiled sweetly, making Jade’s stomach flip when their eyes met once more. “So, do you want to join me for dinner? MG said he invited you, so I thought I would walk you down, even though you obviously know where everything is.”

Smiling at the twin’s rambling, Jade couldn’t find it in her to say no. It didn’t matter that she felt incredibly nervous at the thought of being in the presence of so many people, if Josie asked her to jump off a cliff, she probably would have, even if she didn’t understand why.

“I’d like that Jose,” the familiar nickname just came out, but Josie appeared to brighten when she said it, so Jade refrained from apologizing.

She and Josie made small talk for a few minutes before heading down to the dining hall, with the other girl doing most of the talking. Jade was content to let her so that she could be distracted from her own relentless thoughts torturing her.

Josie told her about the people she usually sits with. Her sister, MG, another vampire named Kaleb, a werewolf named Rafael and his brother Landon who was a freaking phoenix.

Rounding out their little breakfast club was Hope Mikaelson, the tribrid daughter of Original Hybrid Klaus Mikaelson, whom she had previously known as under the alias Hope Marshall. Jade remembered her from the night before when they had returned from the prison world.

It turned out that Jade had inadvertently caused them to be late with her little bedroom breakdown, so the rest of Josie’s friends were already seated at the table when the two arrived with their trays, Jade’s carrying a styrofoam cup of blood.

“Well if it isn’t the girl who decided to play Hunger Games with our crazy murderous uncle in a prison world,” Lizzie looked a lot better than she had when Jade had last seen her.

And she must have been feeling better too with the little jab.

“She’s kidding,” Josie shot her sister a scathing look.

“Don’t worry about Lizzie,” Hope spoke from her spot next to the blonde twin, “insults are how she shows she cares.”

Lizzie grinned, “See, Hope gets it.”

“You look a lot better, Lizzie.” Jade decided to focus on something she knew about: medicine. “How are you feeling?”

Looking a little taken back by the vampire’s concern, the twin lifted her shoulders in a soft shrug, “Pretty good. Vampire blood definitely takes the cake when it comes to minimizing recovery time and cheating death.

Unsure of how to respond to Lizzie’s bluntness, Jade stayed quiet. The rest of the teens sitting at the table didn’t seem bothered by it, so she shook it off. But the lack of conversation allowed Josie a chance to properly introduce them all.

“So, you’re a phoenix,” Jade stated when the introductions were over, focusing on the proverbial elephant in the room, at least it was for her.

“Yes,” Landon drawled awkwardly.

“What does that entail exactly?” she asked because obviously, she’d never met a phoenix before.

“Frodo here has the power to get killed as many times as he wants. He just keeps coming back to life.” Lizzie butted in, “Kind of like a cockroach.”

“Landon’s not a cockroach,” Hope defended the boy, her boyfriend, Jade reminded herself. “He can also fly as of last night.”

“Impressive.” Jade’s eyes widened; not sure what else she was supposed to say to that.

Conversation flowed throughout the remainder of the meal, the blonde preferring to observe more than contribute other than occasionally answering a simple question. It was almost over, Jade thinking she would come out of it no worse off when Lizzie unknowingly reopened a fresh wound.

“Where’s your witch friend?”

Jade’s smile fell at the sudden reminder that her only friend in the world got on a bus to return home to her family that morning. Her explanation about Wendy’s sudden departure getting caught in her throat.

A soft hand covered her own underneath the table. Blue eyes trailing up the arm it belonged to and meeting Josie’s brown ones, Jade felt a wave of calm hit her, giving her the courage to turn back to the blonde and answer her question.

“Wendy went home this morning. She missed her parents.” Jade tried to act nonchalant but wasn’t sure it came across that way.

It didn’t, but luckily for her, Hope understood that the conversation was making her jumpy and decided to change the subject to that of something more interesting to the blonde witch, the twins’ upcoming birthday.

Jade sent Hope a thankful smile, which the tribrid returned while Lizzie was distracted.

With Josie’s hand still covering her own under the table, Jade thought that maybe she could erase the past ten years of hell and start over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it! lmk what would you like to see in the future!


	4. Chapter 4

Jade got the weekend to find some semblance of a routine before she would officially return to classes as a Salvatore School student.

Dr. Saltzman had MG deliver her class schedule at breakfast that Friday, so she would be able to figure out where her classes were before Monday came around. Although it did little to ease her first─technically her second, but who's counting─day jitters, she appreciated the thought.

Throughout the course of the weekend, Josie continued to invite Jade to partake in different activities with the rest of the group. She constantly crossed paths with the brunette and was starting to think the other girl may be keeping tabs on her.

She'd round the corner of the hallway and find Josie at the other end as if she were waiting for her. Or the brunette would show up on the other side of her door with a smile and an invite.

Either Josie or her father must have roped MG in, too, because the vampire also started appearing out of the blue to talk with her about the most random things.

Despite their efforts, Jade only hung out with Josie, MG, and the rest of their group at mealtimes, where she felt obligated to. She didn't want to be rude, so she sat with them, but kept mostly to herself. Only providing her opinions when specifically asked, mostly by Josie. Otherwise, she remained relatively quiet.

It wasn't that Jade didn't want to be around them, she did, especially Josie. Even if she told herself that wasn't the main reason. The thing was she knew that they were being nice─except Lizzie whose snarky attitude was surprisingly refreshing─to her because Josie told them to.

Or the worst-case scenario: Dr. Saltzman told Josie to include her and that's the only reason why the siphoner was being so nice to her. If that was the case, Jade wasn't going to get her hopes up. How long would it be before they didn't feel the need to be polite anymore?

No matter how much she wanted to believe that Josie's kindness was genuine because she knew the other girl had a heart of gold when she was a kid, a voice inside her head told her differently.

_ It's a trick _ , it nagged from the corner of her mind, _no one wants to be friends with a killer_.

Yet, another part of her, the more vulnerable part that's been trapped inside of herself for over a decade, yearned for the chance to have at least one friend. One that she hadn't tortured with her humanity shut off.

Speaking of, Wendy had called her Saturday morning to let her know that she had made it home safe and promise to keep in contact. She also gave Jade her cell number for whenever the vampire could get one of her own. So, while she did technically have one friend, she was states away and going through her own problems, ones that Jade helped create. 

It felt silly, but there was one person that Jade really wanted to be friends at the Salvatore School. Although, she had also threatened to harm that same person in the prison world in order to get Dr. Saltzman to do what she wanted. And though she didn't hurt the brunette twin, she would have, even if she was screaming at herself from the inside not to. 

That’s why she couldn’t help but sit with the Super Squad in the dining hall. For the mere opportunity to share the same air as Josie Saltzman.

It sounded ridiculous in her head and she knew Wendy and Diego would never have let her live it down. But neither of them was there anymore, so Jade would have to figure things out on her own.

First on her list, was figuring out why she had to take Vampire Physiology when she probably knew more than the human professor teaching it. 

“At least it’ll be an easy A,” MG, who along with Kaleb, would be in the same class, pointed out.

During breakfast, Landon had asked her about her class schedule, gaining the rest of the group’s attention. 

Previously, they’d been listening to Lizzie rant about some witch that had been caught hooking up in the chemistry lab with one of the werewolves. Everyone had been quick to latch onto any new topic, the siphon’s tendency to ramble leaving them eager to find something else to talk about.

“Yeah, you can help your fellow vamps out by sharing the knowledge,” the other male vampire grinned at her from over his blood bag.

“Jade will not be helping you cheat, Kaleb.” Josie instantly shut down his idea from her position on Jade’s right side. “Besides, didn’t Dad give you a week’s detention last year for ‘borrowing’ Alyssa Chang’s notes?”

Kaleb shrugged, “The girl offered to let me copy her answers. What was I supposed to do?”

“Ugh,” Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Can you not talk about that she-devil while I’m trying to eat? You’ve just ruined my appetite.”

“Oh no.” Hope waved her arms sarcastically at the blonde’s empty tray, “It’s not like you were finished with it already or anything.”

“That’s not the point, Mikaelson!”

Luckily, the bell rang before the two could get into one of their infamous bickering matches, causing the teens to separate into smaller groups to go to their own classes. 

Jade was content to follow MG and Kaleb to their first class when she noticed someone walking on her left side. Turning her head to the left, blue eyes met chocolate brown and the intoxicating scent of vanilla and cinnamon hit her. 

“Isn’t your class the other way?” coming to a halt, she voiced her confusion to Josie, who gave her a shy smile. 

“Yes.” Josie agreed. “But I figured maybe I would make sure you got to class all right. If you haven’t noticed, the guys kind of left you in the dust.”

A quick glance ahead of them proved the brunette’s statement to be true. MG and Kaleb had indeed exited the cafeteria and didn’t appear to be waiting up for her. It wasn’t like Jade had asked them to walk with her, so she couldn’t be that upset about it. Plus, she had a pretty good idea of where the class was, so she wasn’t worried about getting lost or being late.

The thought of walking alone—albeit through a sea of other students—with Josie triggered a swarm of butterflies to take flight in Jade’s lower abdomen. Although she wanted desperately to take Josie up on her offer, her insecurities—being a monster and the idea of the witch just volunteering to be nice only being two of them—won over. 

“That’s okay, Josie.” Jade instantly regretted her decision when the other girl’s smile turned into a frown, but she was quick to reassure her, “I’ll be fine.” She wasn’t sure what made her try to joke, “It’s not like I spent a decade in a replica of the Salvatore School or something.”

Josie looked like she wanted to protest, but a voice calling the brunette’s name cut off whatever she had been going to say.

“Jo, we’re going to be late for Magic History! Are you coming or not?”

Lizzie and Hope stood a couple of yards away from them in the middle of the hall; the former tapping her foot impatiently having voiced the question while Hope watched, amused, as the students passing the two gave them a wide berth. 

Looking conflicted, Josie turned her brown eyes to Jade, “Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

“Yeah, I got this,” the vampire wasn’t sure if she was talking to the other girl or trying to assure herself.

With one last soft smile, Josie caught Jade off-guard with a quick hug, whispering “good luck!” in her ear before practically skipping off to join her sister and Hope. 

Jade watched her go, unable to stop the smile on her face before she realized that the number of students wandering around had lessened significantly.

“Shit,” she muttered, “you’ve got this, Jade. It’s just high school after all. You’ve done this before. How bad could it be?”

* * *

Jade did, in fact, make it to her first-period class before the bell rang again. She slotted herself into the empty desk between Kaleb and MG that the guys had left open for her. 

Unfortunately, instead of being able to blend into the room full of students, the professor, that she then decided was a sadist, had her introduce herself to the class. Like come to the front of the room and actually introduce herself like they did in a TV show. 

So, because she didn’t want to get in trouble for disrespecting an authority figure on the first day, Jade complied.

Kaleb shot her a pitying look while MG gave her a double thumbs-up. Neither of their efforts did anything to make her feel better. 

It wasn’t even that Jade was shy, she wasn’t. Jade wouldn’t have a problem with everyone’s attention on her if she didn’t _know_ the rumors going around about her sudden admission to the school. 

By then, everyone had learned about the students locked in a prison world by Dr. Saltzman. But what they hadn’t known was the reasoning behind their banishment. 

Yet, the rumors were pretty close to the truth: that ten years ago, three students mercilessly slaughtered a bunch of Mystic Falls townies for no other reason than they ‘felt like it.’

That’s why Jade was so uncomfortable standing in front of a class full of vampires whispering about her. She could hear everything they were saying, and it was no better than the actual truth. 

“Um, hey.” Jade kept her gaze on the back wall of the room, just above their heads. “I’m Jade.”

In a moment of bravery, she glanced at Kaleb, who was cringing at the palpable awkwardness filling the space. Even MG was surprisingly quiet. 

Not able to take their owlish stares any longer, Jade turned to the teacher, “Can I sit down now?”

The man gestured to her previously occupied desk before delving into whatever his lesson plan for the day happened to be. Jade wasn’t listening, preferring to sink into her seat and hope it would swallow her. 

Before the prison world, she’d never been popular, per se; more so she and Wendy were loners that occasionally hung out with werewolf alpha Diego. It wasn’t like she hadn’t talked to the other students, she did, but her penchant for getting into trouble for ‘sticking it to the man’ didn’t exactly attract many friends.

For the next several classes, Jade went through much of the same: introduce herself and pray that the general population would just ignore her, or _at least_ stop whispering about her when they should know she has vampire hearing. 

So, when she got to her Supernatural Anatomy class that was right before lunch, she was understandably a little bit frustrated, causing her to fall into her chair without her usual amount of grace.

“Rough first day?” the female voice caused Jade to lurch forward, hitting her leg against her desk with a loud _bang!_

Once she relaxed, Jade answered Hope’s question, “I wouldn’t rank it in the top ten.” 

“Subtlety isn’t a strong suit for most of the people who go here,” Hope’s eyes traveled around the room. “Believe me, I know.”

Out of Josie’s friends, Jade had quickly realized the tribrid was unnervingly perceptive to the world around her. Other than that, she didn’t know much about the other girl besides the shocking detail that she was the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson, so she decided to give in to the curiosity licking at her mind.

“Have they always been that way or am I special?” 

“When they found out my last name is Mikaelson instead of Marshall, I became even more of a social pariah.” Hope smiled bitterly at the memory. 

It was strange to imagine Hope as anything other than the unofficial leader of the Super Squad and Jade’s disbelief must have been visible because the other girl surprised her with yet another intuitive statement. 

“If you couldn’t tell, having friends is a relatively new thing for me. I’d probably still be the weird loner if those guys didn’t force themselves onto me.” The auburn-haired teen pulled a textbook from her bag. “So, believe me when I tell you that you should give in to friendship because Josie Saltzman is not a girl that gives up easily.”

_ Where is the teacher? _ Jade thought, not liking the direction the conversation was taking. Hope was reading her too well and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Did she know about the feelings Jade harbored for Josie? Not that she herself was even sure what those feelings were. 

But feelings weren’t a great topic at the moment because she hadn’t quite figured out how to handle the normal influx of teenage emotions that hit her after returning from the prison world, let alone the raging hormones that came with having a crush. 

No, she didn’t have a crush on Josie. 

It was just…something that she couldn’t quite define right then, but definitely _not_ a crush.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” so she decided to lie. 

Raising her eyebrows, Hope let out a little chuckle, “Yeah, okay. I’m going to let you keep thinking that, but we both know that’s not true. I’ve been listening to Josie worry about you for the past couple of days, so I think I know what I’m talking about.”

Jade fumbled with her notebook, “Josie’s been talking about me?”

Hope didn’t answer, instead turning to her own notes and readying her pencil as the teacher had arrived while they were talking. She should have heard her arrive with her enhanced senses, but Hope had distracted her. Jade swore she saw a smirk playing at the other girl’s lips. 

Damn tribrid. 

Soon enough, the lunch bell rang and the two were packing up their stuff, the last to exit the room. When they entered the hallway, someone was waiting outside the door, biting her lip impatiently. 

“How was your morning?” Josie may as well have appeared out of thin air for all Jade was concerned. 

Hope looked at Jade with her eyebrows raised once more as if to say _I think she’s talking to you._

“It’s good now,” and at that moment, Jade realized that she may have the teeniest crush on the brunette siphoner.

But just a little one. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one took a little longer than planned but college is almost over for the semester so hopefully I'll have more time to write
> 
> I hope you guys are liking it so far. Next chapter includes Jasie interaction and a party.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jade goes to a party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was fun to write because it has a lot of Jasie interaction! hope you enjoy

The first week of classes passed by quickly for Jade. As it turned out, the students at the Salvatore School had mostly forgotten about the rumors spreading about the 'prison world kids' by Thursday in favor of some other juicy gossip.

Jade was just relieved she wouldn't be subjected to their whispers any longer because it was hard to focus on being a good person with others speculating on the worst things she'd ever done.

Josie and the rest of her friends continued to look out for the vampire, and she was actually starting to become friends with them, looking forward to their daily mealtimes.

After classes ended on Friday, Jade found herself in one of the school's many common rooms doing homework with Josie, Lizzie, Hope, and MG.

She had been on her way back to her room when the Greasley boy had sidled up next to her and encouraged her to get some studying done with some of the others. Although she didn't ask him who would be there, Jade couldn't help the way her dead heart skipped a beat when they entered the room and her eyes fell on the brunette siphoner.

The Saltzman twins were sat on the large plushy couch near the fireplace while the tribrid was sitting crisscross applesauce on the carpet in front of the coffee table. MG had plopped himself down onto the floor next to Hope, leaving Jade to pick between the other side of the table on the ground or with the sisters on the sofa.

Seemingly picking up on her dilemma, Josie scooted to the left toward her sister. She patted the now open space next to her, sending the older blonde a warm smile before returning to her books.

Jade opened her own textbook and began reading about the regenerative capabilities of vampires, trying not to let the scent of vanilla and cinnamon overwhelm her senses. It was hard to focus when she could hear Josie biting her lip as she worked less than a foot away from her.

Luckily, about five minutes after she and MG had arrived, Lizzie let out an obnoxiously loud huff and slammed her book shut.

"Remind me again why I agreed to study when I should be getting ready for a killer party?"

With an exasperated sigh, the blonde's sister answered without turning away from her work, "You're still going to the party, Lizzie."

"Still." Lizzie kicked her feet up onto the coffee table, shuffling around Hope and MG's papers. "I should be getting ready because I need to find a rebound guy to take my mind off the one our father trapped in a prison world which ended up getting destroyed. So, forgive me if I would prefer to get drunk and make out instead of doing this."

"You're still going to the party," Hope rolled her eyes. "You just don't need three hours to get ready for it."

"Excuse me if I don’t take unsolicited advice from a recently reformed loner," Lizzie snarked.

“I think you look beautiful without all the glam, Lizzie.” MG’s infatuation with the blonde was obvious to everyone except for her. The boy was grinning like an idiot at the girl in his usual fashion. 

Lizzie waved him off, “Regardless of my natural good looks, I want to look fabulous for me, although attention from our male student body wouldn’t be unwelcome. But speaking of...” she trailed off with a glance at her sister. “Will the new girl be making an appearance, or does she share our resident tribrid’s recluse tendencies?”

Hope’s only response was shooting the siphoner her middle finger.

It took Jade a second to realize Lizzie was directing the question at her. The blonde twin had taken to referring to Jade as a ‘new girl’ whenever she got the chance, even though the vampire knew that the other girl was aware of what her name was.

She was about to tell Lizzie that no, she did not want to spend the night surrounded by drunk teenagers when it was incredibly difficult to get drunk as a vampire. It didn’t exactly sound like a fun time and Hope probably had the right idea.

But Jade made the mistake of looking over at Lizzie which meant Josie was directly in her line of sight. The brunette’s book was now closed, and she appeared to be very interested in her answer.

“Um,” Jade spoke before her brain could catch up with her mouth. “Are you going, Jose?”

“For a little bit at least,” the other girl shifted on the couch, Jade hyper-aware of every minuscule move she made.

“Okay,” she nodded, “I’ll be there then.”

Josie grinned, returning to her studying. “Great.”

Jade reflexively returned the siphon’s smile, unaware of the other three exchanging knowing glances while they were distracted with each other.

* * *

She could hear the bass pumping long before making it to the clearing where the old mill was located. MG was once again bouncing at her side, having promised he would escort her even though she told him she knew where it was.

It was a little disappointing when MG was on the other side of the door instead of the brunette she was hoping for. But Josie was busy getting ready with Lizzie and was adamant that they go ahead, and the twins would meet them there.

MG was fine with that because he said Kaleb had procured some drinks that would knock them off their feet and they needed to get there before they were gone. Jade doubted it was enough to even get her tipsy, but she followed him anyway.

The scene was completely different than it was the night Jade had returned from the prison world. The building was overflowing with students that spilled out into the surrounding areas. Several bonfires were lit, logs placed around them to sit on.

Someone had set up a sound system, which was the source of the loud, pumping music, but MG explained to her that the witches put up some kind of silencing barrier spell at the edge of the woods to keep the staff from busting them.

“Welcome to the party friends!”

Sliding in between the other two vampires, Kaleb held out a red solo cup in each hand, both cups filled almost to the brim, liquid sloshing around and threatening to spill over.

Jade watched as MG took one of the drinks from Kaleb before reaching out for the other and giving it a delicate sniff. It smelled like cheap vodka, fruit punch, and something herbal.

Shrugging her shoulders, she gave it an experimental sip.

It wasn’t terrible—she remembered the stuff she and Wendy would drink at parties—but it had an interesting aftertaste that she couldn’t place, so she attributed it to whatever the herbal smell was.

When she looked up, she noticed MG and Kaleb waiting for a response.

“It’s…pretty good actually.” Kaleb beamed at her words. “What’s in it?”

He pulled them towards one of the fires, responding as they went, “You know, vodka, a little bit of fruit punch and a special ingredient one of the witches mixed together,” he winked.

Although she doubted it was strong enough for their heightened metabolisms, Jade didn’t think it could hurt. So, she took another sip and followed them over to a group of familiar-looking vampires, not noticing the slight fogginess creeping at the edge of her mind.

True to her word, Hope did not make an appearance at the party. According to Rafael, who Jade had literally bumped into when she went to get another drink, Landon and the tribrid were having a movie night instead.

After that, MG had roped her into a game of beer pong—that they had dominated by the way—and Jade felt herself actually let loose for the first time since her return. She was so afraid of hurting someone that her guard was constantly up, but whatever was in the alcohol must have been working because Jade was fully relaxed.

She just hadn’t realized how drunk she was until she stumbled into another person, arms wrapping around their neck to keep herself from tumbling into the dirt.

“You alright, Jade?”

“Hey, Jose!” Unfocused blue eyes landed on the warm chocolate brown ones of one Josie Saltzman. “I’ve been looking for you!”

It was true. Throughout the entirety of the night, Jade had been keeping a constant lookout for the brunette twin yet hadn’t been able to locate her until she tumbled into her. Most likely due to the alcohol coursing through her system along with whatever else was in her cup.

“Sorry,” Josie pulled slightly away from the older girl, studying her for a moment. “Lizzie took forever to get ready, so we just got here like five minutes ago.”

“I’m so glad you’re here, I missed you.”

Josie’s lips tugged down in a concerned frown and Jade felt the urge to reach out and pull them up into a smile herself because Josie was _too_ _beautiful and too nice to be upset about anything_ her drunk thoughts said _._

“Jade.”

The siphon leaned in several inches, eyes flickering around Jade’s face whose mind could only focus on the fact that, _whoa, Josie’s face was_ so _close._ Her trance was broken when the other girl voiced a question, “Are you _drunk?_ ”

Looking down at the empty cup hanging loosely from her fingertips, Jade was thoughtful. “I’m definitely drunk, which is crazy because I didn’t even think I could get drunk,” she grinned, “this is awesome!”

Her entire body felt heavy all of a sudden as if the Earth’s gravity had increased tenfold and she suddenly weighed a thousand pounds. When her body started swaying back and forth, the Saltzman girl reached out to steady her with both hands.

Josie snorted, “Did you drink some of Kaleb’s special punch?”

“Yup,” Jade liked the way the ‘p’ sounded so she repeated it a couple of times.

“How much did you have exactly?” the younger teen inquired, biting her lip and trying to hold back laughter.

“I lost count after three,” she held up four fingers, becoming distracted by one of her many rings catching the moonlight.

“Okay.” Josie’s smile morphed back into a concerned pout that made Jade sad. “We’re going to get you back to your room before you pass out on the forest floor. I’d be a crappy friend if I let that happen.”

Jade wanted to say, ‘that’s okay because I want to be more than friends,’ but what came out of her mouth was, “I’m not going to pass out.” Yet, her body was growing heavier by the second.

“Believe me you’ll be happy I did when you wake up tomorrow morning,” the witch stepped closer to the vampire so that she could put an arm around her shoulders and then all Jade could smell was cinnamon and vanilla. “Your drink has jimsonweed in it, which Kaleb probably got one of the witches to spell to make its effects stronger.”

“Oh,” she breathed, allowing Josie to carry more of her weight while also managing to remain on her feet. “Maybe I shouldn’t have had so much.”

“You’ll be alright,” the other girl promised, her warm breath puffing against Jade’s ear as she steered them in the direction of the school. “You’re a vampire, so the recovery time will be nothing.”

“You’re so smart,” Jade smiled, “and pretty.” She brought her hand up to her face, but her sluggish movement caused her to basically slap herself, “Whoops, I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud.”

“Don’t worry,” giggled Josie, “I won’t tell me that you said that.”

“Thanks, you’re the best.”

Somehow, Josie managed to corral the intoxicated vampire to her dorm room without getting caught. Although it was a close call because, at one point, Jade nearly got them caught by knocking a painting off the wall.

Luckily, Josie reacted quickly enough by siphoning a small amount of magic from the blonde and stopping the painting in mid-air.

As soon as the door to Jade’s room opened, she flopped onto her mattress and spread out like a starfish.

“You don’t want to change?” Josie stepped into the room.

“Nope,” her voice was muffled by her pillow. “I’m good.”

Something brushed her ankle and she turned onto her back, but even in her drunken state, she realized it was just the other girl pulling at the comforter underneath her. Josie gently tugged it up and over Jade’s body, moving to stand at the head of the bed.

“Thank you,” whispered Jade, finding it harder and harder to keep her eyes open. “For making sure I didn’t get lost in the woods.”

Smiling, Josie once again invaded the older girl’s personal space to tuck a stray blonde lock behind her ear. Despite struggling to remain conscious, her skin seared where fingers made contact.

“I wouldn’t have let that happen.”

It had to have been the laced drink giving her a boost of confidence because sober Jade would never have done what she did next, not in a million years.

She closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against Josie’s. For a moment, the other girl returned the contact, but just as quickly as it started, it was over.

It was Josie that pulled away, eyes wide and pupils blown, brushing her fingers against her lips. Jade let out a quiet whine at the loss of contact, falling back against her pillow when her head grew too heavy.

“Jade,” the girl breathed, “we can’t.”

Fatigue finally washed over Jade like a ten-foot wave, calling the girl into its warm grasp, so strong that she couldn’t fight it any longer.

“Okay,” she turned over in her bed, letting sleep take her.


End file.
